The Abilene reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1883-1888, 1887-11-10

reading. What is your trouble2"
"You know I am engaged to Bessie"
Bessie is my pretty little cousin.
YES" answered. laconically.
"And you know-you know"-he
hesitated and colOred.
al know great many things. but
not this special thing you are going to
tell me-"
"You know am in love with Blanch
Bernard"
81 have every reason to believe so. J."
"Iknow 1 am Il wretch-a villain Of
the first water
81 can't quite agree with YOU" I in
terrupted; still" 1 paused at this
point. rather doubtful of how to pro-
coed.
81 told you. Fred. that 1 didn't ex-
pect your sympathy"
"And yetyOu have it." interrupted
again. with significant shrug.
"Pm sure I'm an object of sympa-
pathy," he said, dejectedly; engaged
to one woman and madly in love with
another one. Bessie is the best, the
sweetest. the dearest girl on earth. but
OH Fred, what shall 1 do? am
tempted, sometimes, to take pistol
and make an end of the whole misera-
BILE affair If a man could marry both
of them-but that is impossible"
CLEARLY impossible; SO you must
select some safer channel for the course
of your true love than suicide or bigs
ANY,"
"Well, came to ask your advice.
and whatever you advise-Fred, l am
the most miserable man on earth and
see no possible way out of my difficult
ties"
"The first thing to do" said, sis to
ask Bessie to release you from your
present bondage; the second, to ask
Miss Bernard
Il can't bear to think of asking Bes-
sie"-
''Sit right down here at once" l
said. authoritatively, placing a chair
at my writing-desk, land write the
exact truth to Bessie. You will have
to break with her sooner or later, and
the sooner it is done the better for you
both. D."
"You are very anxious" he said,
pettishly. 81 believe you've always
had liking for Bessie yourself
"And so L have" l said, smiling at
this betrayal of pique and jealousy.
''You have no right to be jealous, as
you no longer care for her."
II do care for her, am devoted to
her, but not in the way l care for
Blanch.
Exactly; just as Said. Now,
Clarence, no nonsense; if you are tired
of the old love, be off with her as soon
rs you please, but don't make love to
the old and the new at one and the
same time. don't understand how a
man who has been in love with girl
like Bessie could descend to a Blanch
Bernard, but every one to his taste.
To be sure, have arrived at years of
discretion. and can no longer be led
captive by pair of brilliant eyes and
mass of shining Fair. admit there
is a wide difference between twenty
five and thirty-fve."
Clarence flushed holly.
major Reynolds, he exclaimed.
spiritedly, lis rs mad about Blanch rs
am. He makes himself absurd when
ever he is in her presence. and l am
sure you can make his youth pre-
text for sneering at his taste and iudg-
ment."
L can't account for his madness
except on the principle that one fool
makes many. or that extremes meet,
and an old fool and young fool meet
on the same plane" 1 replied, smiling
ly and placidly.
Il am ready to admit that l am
fool-in your opinion-and the ques-
ton will require no arguing" he said
impatiently. lingering his mOustache
nervously. But came to you for
advice, not criticism. Now tell me,
Fred, seriously, do you think l would
be justified, honorably justified. in
breaking with Bessie under the cir
cumstances?"
Seriously. Clarence, 1 think you
would be justified in doing nothing
else; you would certainly not be hon
Orably justified in marrying one
woman while in love with another
one. Do not allow yourself to be
deceived by any false and sentimental
notions of honor. If you have ceased
to love Bessie, tell her so at once"
"Well, l WILL" he said, resolutely.
He seated himself at my desk and
wrote letter which he entrusted to
me to deliver.
l decided in my own mind that
Clarence's infatuation for Miss Bernard
was but feeting Illusion, for l had
seen other men as ready to commit SUI
icide on her account as he, and yet
they still lived. One desperate lover l
had known bought enough cold and
deadly poison to put out the lives of
dozen men. and another had COM
plete armory of death-dealing weap-
ons, and only hesitated because he
couldn't decide whether derringer, a
rifle or bowie knife would be the
pleasantest road to purgatory. The
last mentioned lover hesitated so long
that he forgot all about Miss Demands
charms before he made up his mind as
to the best manner of shutting off this